dcreamer – Page 29 – EncouragingU

Hopes and Dreams

by dcreamer August 6, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

We have the most beautiful hydrangea bush I’ve ever seen. This year it’s been on its best behavior. Giant blooms which start out a light green, turn pink, then violet and eventually a gorgeous deep purple, Oh! It gives me such joy. So many times I’ve tried to root the bush. I’ve tried Root Tone, stems in a jar of water, placing a brick on a low limb while pushing the still attached shoot into fertile soil… all the things. Last year I thought I had one off-shoot take root. I babied it until I thought it was strong enough, then carefully moved it to a better place. A short while later, it gave up the ghost. But my heart took courage when my daughter brought a cutting from my mother-in-law’s big white snowball bush. That was another favorite we’d been trying to root since Nina’s passing. It too keeled over shortly after the transplant. Fast forward to this summer. Two little shoots struggled upward in the flowerbed to the side of our wheelchair ramp. I could hardly believe my eyes when Hannah pointed them out to me as their heads poked up above the coneflowers and black-eyed-Susans. If they would just hang on in this southern heat, maybe next year they’d be strong enough to bush and bloom. It gave me hope. Hey. A girl can dream!

Fast forward again to the day we planned to bring David home from the hospital to begin Hospice care. I stepped outside on the ramp as we waited for the ambulance transport and nearly rested my hand on the rail where a snake lay sunning itself. I stumbled backward into the house as I sputtered and choked on my own spit. Stephanie, who was here to help with her Dad, came running. Together we looked out the glass door to see that the snake still made itself at home on the handrail. If there’s anything David hates worse than snakes, I sure don’t know what it would be. And the transport people would be wheeling him up that very ramp any minute. Not the homecoming I had planned.

Out a different door Stephanie flew as she grabbed a hoe and knocked that slimy demon onto the ground. Like lightning, Slimy Demon shot through the undergrowth. Stephanie was not having it. She chopped at that wicked reptile with all her might. I was so proud. Except I was hoping and maybe even praying a little that she didn’t whack off my fledgling hydrangeas. It’s crazy what we think about when confronted with the unexpected. Finally, the chopping stopped. Slowly, she returned the hoe to stand guard at it’s normal place, then came in to hug me. There may have been a few tears. It had been a hard morning. The car had also died on the way to sign him out that morning. But she did it! Her daddy was on his way home, even if it was just for a few days before he was transported to his true Home. At least while he was here, he did not have to worry about snakes or the car or anything else that he would normally protect his favorite girls from. And I forgot all about the babied hydrangea sprouts.

My grandson Jesse got rid of the snake carcass. The following week progressed in a blur until David was truly called Home. It was a bittersweet time with family and friends gathered for meals and hard good byes. Then everything got quiet.

This morning, three weeks later as I watered my plants, I noticed. Both cuttings look to be thriving. It’s hard, but I’m trying to take joy in that. Life goes on… until it doesn’t. At times we can be brave and feel such victory. But sometimes not so much. I’m learning. God does not expect me to be brave all the time. There is a time for every purpose under Heaven. And I’m finding, that when I draw near to Him, He really does draw near to me. Best of all, I will see my Beloved again before too long. In the mean time, the sorrow is very real. But! “I will not sorrow as those who have no hope.” -from 1 Thess. 4:13. The same God that David and I have served and trusted all our lives, will carry us safely Home.

A Lesson on Grace

by dcreamer August 5, 2025 with No Comments

In today’s world we could all use a little more grace. Steve Hartman shares a story about one family offering grace to a woman. It is a shining example for us to follow. Enjoy the story.

Finding Peace in the End

by dcreamer August 4, 2025 with No Comments

Let me say that I do not agree with everything that is shared in this piece. The reason that I am posting it is that my family is and has been facing grief…the grief of loss. I thought if others are going through what we are going through that maybe it might offer some hope and peace. I believe that Jesus offers us peace if we can accept Him at the end of life. Remember, I do not agree with every thought that is shared, but in this moment I feel led to share it.

Faith on the Zipline

by dcreamer August 3, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Was I ready for this moment? A 19-year-old was strapping in my 7-year-old for his first zipline experience. How watchful would you have been in a moment like that? Maybe you have been in a moment like that. Normally, I would have been extremely cautious and questioning.

This wasn’t just any older teen, though; this was my firstborn preparing and checking his littlest brother. There is a 13-year difference in their ages. My oldest has been interning at Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters (SWO), a Christian retreat and camp center in Andrews, NC, for the last year. He has been well-trained to work various outdoor recreation activities, but this summer, the zipline is his expertise. Watching him work in his element put my parenting into perspective.

Like any cautious mother, I watched closely to see if my baby boy was being properly harnessed. But, I was able to put those cautions aside because I knew the one in whom we were entrusting care – a brother who cared and loved and would protect his baby brother better than anyone else. After being double-checked by another activity assistant, my 7-year-old made his way up the trail to the high tree for his adrenaline-filled rush. And what a rush! His squeal of terror turned to delight as much of the camp could hear him. “Must be Chase’s brother,” I heard other recreation leaders remark. Yes, for big brother also vocalizes excitement with explosions of yells and yawps.

My husband and I have also watched our oldest learn to exercise what he has learned in other ways. No longer under the shelter and care of his home and family, he has to work out his own salvation and faith journey. His father and I, along with other spiritual influences, did our best to spread a buffet, equipping him for walking by faith. The last year has provided many opportunities for him to make his faith his own, drawing him to seek answers in the Bible and to ask questions of those who have a heart leaning into the Savior and Creator. In turn, he has been able to share his personal struggles, his knowledge of God’s Word, and the encouragement and comfort God has given him with other interns and campers alike.

I can still remember my oldest needing me to help make sure he was safe and being smart as he dared to attempt his own adrenaline rush activities. Now, he is doing much of the same for others – his little brother, yes, but also to those he interacts with from week to week. I may not have been ready for this, but he was, and God has met him there. Much of Christian parenting is learning to let go of that harness and believing that God is faithful to be the Father and the Holy Spirit in their lives. But if God has truly begun a good work in them, we know He will complete it (see Philippians 1:6).

Ashlie Miller and her husband raise their children in Concord, NC. She will be saving this piece to reread and remind herself of these truths later.

A Second Harvest

by dcreamer August 2, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

A Second Harvest

How are you holding up with all this heat? Maybe by the time you read my column the heat wave will have broken. It’s so hot! Where I live, we have had very little rain to help trees, plants, and gardens. I have been watering regularly trying to keep everything alive. It’s been an uphill battle.

I looked out the window at the vegetable garden and realized that I had an empty bed. I had harvested my potatoes – a good crop this year – and that space was available to plant. I didn’t want to go out and do it in the heat. BUT I do want a fall harvest. The only way to get a fall harvest is to plant things now. I made myself go out and get the bed ready for planting one evening and then went out another evening and planted some seeds.

Another area of the garden will finish up in a couple of weeks and I am planning what I will put in that spot, too. Most people work to get their first tomatoes in by the 4^th of July, but I was running late with my garden this year. I am hoping for my first tomato soon. I have eaten a few cherry tomatoes, but I can’t wait for a real one. I have enjoyed some tomatoes from a local farmer, but there is nothing like growing your own.

We’ve had some successes and struggles with the garden this year. I am hoping for a second harvest. It is hard to imagine that the first frost will arrive in about 12 weeks, especially when we will probably hit 100 today. Picking the right vegetables and getting them started soon is critical if I want to get more from my garden.

Last year we had a big harvest of green beans and butter beans in the fall. This year I haven’t had a green bean yet. Last year I got some late cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. I am going to keep trying, keep pushing my luck against Mother Nature. It seems our first frost has been running later and later the last few years, so I am hopeful that I will get a harvest this year, too. I remember having to take some sheets out to cover things last year to protect my vegetables from frost.

A second harvest requires hot, sweaty work. I have been sharing my harvest with the critters, but I believe I have gotten a bigger portion this year. In order to continue our harvest into the fall, I have to get out there in the heat and do the necessary work of cleaning out the weeds, preparing the seed bed, and planting the seeds.

If we want to see the harvest of souls, it is going to require the same type of effort. Think of the world or those who have no relationship with God as an untamed garden bed. Someone has to clear out the weeds. Many people live in the world and pay no attention to spiritual matters. Their guide is worldly standards. Their measure of success comes from the value of the bank account. They look to social media for approval. These weeds need to be cleared away. We have to help them see their need for God and biblical standards.

We help to prepare their hearts by expressing God’s love for them. We help them see that God has a purpose and a plan for their lives. We also help them see the error of their ways. But more than our words, we live our lives in front of them as an example. We show them by our choices, faith, and hope that there is a better way to live their lives. Once their hearts are ready, we can share the love of Jesus with them.

Do you have family, friends, and neighbors who are lost and in need of a savior? I want to encourage you to ask God to help you be a weed puller, soil prepper, seed planter, the one who waters, or the one who harvests the lost soul. He will show you how. He can and will use you to share your faith in Christ with them. We never know how much time we have here on earth, but when that time is up we will have to stand before God. Make yourself available to share the Good News. The goal is make a way for them to hear what we all want to hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter your master’s rest.” Pray and do what he tells you.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Seasons and Sadie

by dcreamer August 1, 2025 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Sometime last week I first noticed the seasonal changes on the mountain. Working in the raised flower garden, I went to the shop for some pruning shears and on the way back, I glanced to the saddle just south of Edinburg Gap. Yep, there was a light touch of yellow, gold, and specks of red. Since that day last week, the change has spread along the ridge, causing the mountain to take on an array of colors like those of an artist’s palette.

However, before the cold and snow of another winter arrives, we have weeks of sharp, vibrant colors to enjoy. Not only have leaves begun to turn on the ridge of the mountain, but I have seen some sugar maple leaves turning. It is indeed a magical season that seems to have arrived unannounced, but I know that lack of awareness is about me and not the seasonal cycle. Yet, we all are often taken aback by how quickly the change of seasons happens. On the last day of September, while working on a doll house in the shop, I opened the large doors that face the mountain so I could see the same saddle from last week. I glanced up often to marvel at how the colors had increased. Not only had the ridge taken on more color, but also the base shone with a dull orange tinge that announced the coming change. Sanding and painting the intricate parts of the doll house, I thought how as this seasonal change has come many of us in the valley have continued on with our daily lives—the joys, the sorrows, the squabbles, and the mundane, without taking heed of the dramatic change happening on the mountain and around us. Then I thought of Sadie and her words to Mary Ann, my wife.

When Mary Ann and I first met, one of the first people in her life about whom she told me was her long-time friend, Sadie, who now lives in Gettysburg. Attending the same church, Sadie and Mary Ann had shared much in their lives until Sadie was called to counsel violent, male prisoners in the Pennsylvania state system. Over the years of her prison counseling, Sadie came to realize that, until she became an ordained minister, she would be limited by the restraints of the state prison system. So, this spunky lady in her late fifties enrolled in the Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg so that she could do more for “her” violent prisoners. After years of hearing about her and her work in the prisons with the men that she said had been forgotten, I was finally going to meet her.

Sadie and Mike, her husband, invited family and friends to her ordination. It was a lovely service in an old Lutheran Church near Gettysburg. However, what struck me was how much energy flowed from the small frame of Sadie. Like many celebrations, her ordination was over a weekend, but her glass-framed, smiling face seemed to be in all places with all her family and friends. With her ordination, her prison outreach expanded, and we began regular trips to Gettysburg to race the local marathon, see the historical sights, and share time with Sadie and Mike.

Sometimes we would share time with both, but on occasion Mike would be out of town, so we had Sadie to ourselves. She showed us interesting, seemingly unknown parts of her hometown, she shared with us her work in the prison system, and her work as an assistant pastor. She told us how the men she ministered to had done horrible, unspeakable things, but also how they were human beings who had suffered abuse. She could sit over a meal and tell of these men without judging; she acknowledged their horrific crimes and their humanity. And always, she was cheerful, bright, wise, and kind. Then three years ago she shared, over a light salad, how she was having discomfort and could not eat much. That discomfort progressed into cancer.

Tears. Treatments. Pain. Fears. All of it and more, she and her family have gone through much. Yet, like some people, Sadie has somehow continued to smile and radiate energy—until this week when she told Mary Ann, “I knew this would happen (her decline). Do what you have to do…it happens so fast.” The vibrant, loving lady who went to seminary late in life in order to serve humanity now has only about an hour of energy each day.

Change is happening on the mountain and in our lives. In the midst of all that change, we are occupied with the ordinary concerns of life. But, are we living or just going through the motions? Perhaps we should heed Sadie’s words-”it happens so fast”-and do what really matters.

Next Generation Track Club in Texas

by dcreamer July 31, 2025 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Next Generation Track Club in Texas for Junior Olympics

Alaiya Neri-Givens is a 9-year-old sprinter for the Next Generation DefendersTrack Club. She was one of about 35 runners and coaches working hard on Monday afternoon at the Salisbury High School track. When practice started at 5:30pm, the air temperature was 92 degrees.

Alaiya said, “When I was a kid, I went out and ran around the house a lot on my own. And now I can beat most of the boys!” Alaiya loves math in school, but her dream is to be a track star. The next step for Alaiya and these coaches and kids is the National Junior Olympics in Humble, Texas, which is near Houston. She is one of about 70 kids who began practicing and competing in March, and the remaining 40 kids placed well enough in regionals to reach the national competition. Alaiya’s best 100-meter time is 14.08 seconds and she’s shooting for 13 seconds next week.

Lennox Crutchfield, another 9-year-old, is about to enter 5^th grade. He competes in the long jump, the 100 and 200 meters. He said, “This is my only sport so far, and I want to keep getting better at whatever event I am best at.”

Head coach for the track club is Shimiah Brooks who was born in Salisbury, then began running AAU track in 2006 at 12 years old. Brooks said, “Track gave me purpose, identity and discipline. I fell in love with the triple jump, then expanded into hurdles and sprints.” She was a three-time North Carolina State Champion.

At Clemson University, Brooks was a two-time ACC champion, then later earned two Sun Belt Conference titles at Arkansas State University. Her top collegiate efforts were 13.43 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles and 6.29 meters in the long jump.

Brooks said,” Now, I use everything I learned as an athlete to shape and lead the next generation of competitors. When I am not coaching, I’m teaching. I love equipping students with practical skills in entrepreneurship, finance, and leadership that will carry them far beyond the classroom. When the opportunity came to launch a competitive AAU track in our hometown, I knew that I had to be part of it!”

The Next Generation club had a first-time indoor track team earlier this year that took 16 athletes to AAU Indoor Nationals. Jordan Waller became the program’s first national champion and set a national meet record in the process. Jordan Waller runs track already for Salisbury High School. He said, “In the seventh grade at Knox, I thought I was a sprinter, but I fell in love with the 400 meters which is much more mental. I had to decide what I really wanted and now I am very goal oriented.” Waller’s best 400-meter time is 46.08 seconds, and he led most of the track workouts on Monday afternoon.

Many of the athletes already compete in various sports for Salisbury High School or will in the future. The track club uses the SHS and Catawba College facilities. The outdoor season typically runs from March through early August, depending on how far the athletes advance in the championship series.

The AAU Junior Olympic Games take place from July 27 through August 2, which includes seven full days of elite competition. The team will be traveling from Salisbury in 15-passenger vans to create a shared experience that builds team unity. They will be staying in Airbnb’s near the competition venue to keep the environment comfortable, family-style, and focused.

Brooks said, “This will be a life-changing experience for our athletes. For many of them, it will be their first time traveling out of state and competing on a national stage. Being able to travel all the way to Houston, Texas to represent Salisbury and the state of North Carolina is something they will never forget. They will be surrounded by the top youth athletes from across the country, which will push them to believe in themselves and raise their level of competition.”

Additional coaches are Nick Summers, Brandon Broadway, Preston Ellis, Harold Reid, Shintara Crutchfield, Duwan Robertson, Justin Lewis and Allen Hines. Coaches are committed to making sure that every athlete gets the attention, development and discipline they need to succeed. Brooks added, “Each coach brings unique strengths to the table. Together, we are not just building athletes. We are building character, confidence and community! We are taking over 40 athletes, along with 8 to 10 coaches and assistants, and several parents will be traveling as well to help with supervision, meals, and support.”

Each athlete’s total cost is around $600 to $750. This includes transportation, lodging, meals, registration, and uniforms. Many parents are traveling alongside their kids to Houston, to support and be fully present for what will be one of the most meaningful moments in their child’s athletic journey. Families cover a portion of the cost. Brooks said, “I always remind our parents this this not just a payment, but an investment in their child’s dream and future. We work hard to ease the financial burden through fundraisers, raffles, a car wash, and generous community donations. The club is grateful for every contribution that helps these kids get to the starting line.”

A benefit car wash is scheduled at Immunotek at 640 Jake Alexander West in Salisbury on July 19^th from 12-4pm. Car wash donations are $10, and trucks are $20.

Romar Morris, co-founder and program director of Next Generation, said, “Our goal is to invest in the next generation. I believe that Rowan County has some of the best athletes in the state. The community of the team opens them up and we see parents and kids buying into our program. We want to plant seeds and provide the same opportunities that coaches gave me to create the cycle. We offer a year-round program that includes football and cheerleading, and competing in track makes these kids better in other sports. Look for more to come!”

The next event for the local running community is the Prediction 5K on August 23^rd at City Park. Look for this and other activities at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: Next Generation Track Club in Texas for Junior Olympics

Wordy

by dcreamer July 30, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Funny story. When we were making arrangements at the funeral home after David’s passing, the person helping us, who is also our nephew went over each cost. When it came to the obituary, he paused a bit. “You did a great job writing it Mrs. Lynna. I wouldn’t change anything. Typically the cost to run it in the local paper is $175. But this one is going to be a little more since… it’s a bit longer.” I laughed as I asked, ” So you’re saying I got a little wordy.” Kyler smiled. “But it’s very good,” he said. “This one will run $325.” I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “Sounds about right. David always called me a ‘wordsmith.’ What he actually meant was VERBOSE!” It helped to laugh and remember his teasing.

Today is his birthday. He would have turned 70 today. Together we had a running joke that in February, when I had my birthday five months before him, we BOTH turned a year older. That started way back in the eighties when we visited a church with some friends down in South Carolina. They handed out visitor cards with a place to mark age categories. Since I had already had my birthday, I landed in a higher age bracket than my beloved. He elbowed me just to point out that he was indeed in the category with college and career people while I might as well have been listed with the cougars. He and his buddy Barry laughed so hard the pew was shaking. We had a little Come to Jesus meeting when we got home and you know… that situation never repeated itself. Until now.

My sweet David had been saying, “We’re seventy,” since February… just because he knew it made me happy. Then the Salisbury Post had to go and tell the truth. He was only 69. But as I said in the obituary. Praise God our prayers were answered and he did not suffer another 12 days so he could turn an earthly 70 today. Thankfully, he was too busy catching up with his mom, and mine as he made his way to Jesus. I picture a little jog as he hurried to meet the Lord he loves. And yes, I got a bit wordy with his obit. But oh the things I could still tell. It reminds me of the last verse in the book of John where he says the whole world couldn’t contain the books if he were to write down all his stories of Jesus.

That’s how I feel. David was a funny, gentle, hard-headed man who took sweet care of me for fifty one years. All the words in the world cannot describe how much I miss him.

Happy Birthday my love.